Ever feel like the job world is shifting beneath your feet? You're not imagining it. According to one of LinkedIn's top economists, some of today's hottest jobs didn't even exist a few years ago – and that means a traditional college degree can't fully prep you for them.
Chua Pei Ying, who heads up economics for LinkedIn in Asia Pacific, recently chatted with Business Insider at the Fortune AI Brainstorm 2025 Conference in Singapore. Her big takeaway? Companies were already starting to hire based on *skills* long before AI exploded onto the scene.
"It's not just about your degree or your past job titles anymore," Chua explained. "Employers are really focused on the actual skills you bring to the table." That makes perfect sense when you consider how many brand-new roles are popping up. LinkedIn's data shows over 20% of professionals hired in Asia Pacific have job titles that literally didn't exist two decades ago – think data scientists or content creators.
Chua put it bluntly: "You can't hire someone for a job that never existed before. And you can't expect them to have a degree in a field that's brand new."
**Why the Big Shift? Blame Digital Tools (and AI)**
New tech is constantly changing how businesses run – and what they need from their people. Chua predicts "AI literacy" is about to become as fundamental as knowing how to use email. "It's going to be expected for everyone," she said.
And the skills required for *any given job* are evolving at lightning speed. LinkedIn data reveals skill sets have already changed by 40% since 2016. Hold onto your hat – they project that jump to hit 72% by 2030!
**So, What Can Job Seekers Do?**
Chua's advice is pretty clear: Don't fear the tech, embrace it. "Lean into technology," she urged. Learn to use AI tools responsibly, double-check their outputs, and see them as helpful tools, not crutches you depend on blindly.
But it's not just about tech skills. Chua emphasized that "soft skills" – things like communication and teamwork – are becoming *more* important, whether you're a fresh grad or a seasoned pro. Another key trait companies are actively hunting for? Agility, especially for people just starting their careers.
**What the Tech Leaders Are Saying**
Chua isn't alone in seeing this massive shift. Big names in tech have been vocal about how AI is shaking things up:
* **Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei:** Warned that AI could wipe out **half of all entry-level white-collar jobs within the next five years.**
* **Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang:** Takes a slightly different view. He told CNN's Fareed Zakaria he's "certain 100% of everybody's jobs will be changed" by AI, but insists it won't kill jobs outright – it'll just transform *how* we do them. "My job has already changed," he added.
* **Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas:** Stressed the importance of getting hands-on with AI. "People who really are at the frontier of using AIs are going to be way more employable than people who are not," he stated. "That's guaranteed to happen."
* **Salesforce Chief Futures Officer Peter Schwartz:** Pointed to a uniquely human skill as the most crucial: **empathy.** "The most important skill is empathy, working with other people," he told BI. "That will be the most important thing because the AIs can deal with all the routine stuff."
* **Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg:** Focused on foundational thinking. In a Bloomberg interview, he said the most important skill is "learning how to think critically and learning values when you're young." He looks for candidates who've shown they can "go deep and do one thing really well," because that proves they've mastered "the art of learning something" new.
The message is clear: The future belongs to adaptable learners who combine tech-savvy (especially with AI) with strong human skills like communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and empathy. Your degree might open the door, but your skills – both technical and soft – are what will keep you relevant in this rapidly evolving job market.